Method and preassembled casing for finishing a rough door opening



Jan. 3, 1956 E. T. JACKSON 2,728,956

METHOD AND PREASSEMBLED CASING FOR FINISHING A ROUGH DOOR OPENING Filed Sept. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 3, 1956 E. T. JACKSON METHOD AND PREASSEMBLED CASING FOR FINISHING A ROUGH DOOR OPENING 2 Sheets--Sheel 2 Filed Sept. 19, 1952 f/71/e/7/'0r Edw/'q T Jackson,

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5 /qfomgy United States Patent() "ice NIETHOD AND PREASSEMBLED CASINGFGR FINISHING A ROUGH DOOR OPENING Edwin T. Jackson, Tallahassee, Fla., assignor to .lackstite, Inc., Tallahassee, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application September 19, 1952, Serial No. 310,445

12 Claims. (Cl. 20-11) My invention relates to preassembled door casings adapted for installation in rough door openings in homes and other buildings, to bracing means to prevent damage to the casing during shipment and before installation thereof, and to methods of finishing rough door openings, and further particularly pertains to methods of installing a preassembled door casing quicklyV and in a manner to provide a thoroughly rigid finished doorway.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement for bracing a door member at its swinging or lock edge to a preassembled door jamb, whereby the door forms a firm cross ybrace for the casing to prevent damage during handling of the casing prior to installation.

'A further object of myinvention is to provide a preassembled door casing which may be inexpensively manufactured and readily installed in .a rough opening with a minimum of carpentry skill and effort and so as to be firmly and rigidly afiixed to the door buck of the rough opening.

An additional object of my invention is to provide methods of finishing rough door openings which comprise simple pre-assembly steps, and simple installation steps within the skill of the least experience carpenters, wherein the methods result in highly accurate alignment of the parts of the casings, particularly withl respect to plumb position, and provide that the casing in each case is rigidly affixed to the door buck.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved preassembled door casing for ready installation in exactly dimensioned rough door openings in walls of any usual thickness.

A particular advantage inherent in the method and in the combination according to my invention is that nail holes are not made in visible portions of the casing which, in older types of construction, do not have nail holes. In this respect, as in all other respects, casings in accord with my invention, and installed in accord with my method, are substantially identical in appearance to doors constructed and installed in accord with old conventional methods by the most highly skilled and experienced finish carpenters.

The preassembled door casing in accord with my invention, and the methods mentioned hereinabove, have the desired effect of permitting economies in labor and materials in the finishing of rough door openings.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, .may best be understood by reference to the following. description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a complete door casing preassembled for shipment to a building site, portions of the casing being cut-away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged bottom sectional view of a por- 2,728,956 Patented Jan. 3, 1956 2 tion of the door and of the casing members taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the door casing of Fig. 1 during installation in a rough door opening, one unitary portion of the casing having been separated from another;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottomsectional view taken at the same area as that shown in Fig. 2, but disclosing the arrangement of the assembled casing after installation and after attachment to the door buck to finish the rough opening; and f Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a small portion of a door casing in accord with a modification of my invention.

As seen in Fig. 1, the preassembled door casing comprises a door member 1, which may be of the flush type, or of the panel or other desired type, hingedly connected, by hinges 2 and 3 to a jamb or jambmemlber 4, the hinges being mounted to the load-bearing jamb portion 5, which, with head jamb portion 6 and alock side jamb portion 7, comprises one of two separable jambs or jamb members of the casing. The prortions 5, 6 and 7 will be recognized as comprising approximatelyone-half of what is usually referred to as a door frame, and to which a trim strip and door stop may be attached. i

A suitable trim strip 8 is pre-afiixed, in accord with my invention, to the outer edge of this first jamb member completely around the opening to extend outwardly therefrom and, upon installation of the jamb member, to labut or partially to cover wall surfaces adjacent vto the door opening, and thus to trim or finishA about the I rough opening.

A second 4jarnb member 9 is provided, which comprises a portion 10, adapted to parallel portion 5 of the first jamb member, a header portion 11 which parallels header portion 6, and an opposing sideportion 12 to parallel portion 7 of the first jamb member. A trim strip 13 is affixed to the outer edge of the second jamb member completely around the opening to extend outwardly, in the manner of trim strip 8, preferably to cover a portion of the adjacent wall surface.

Dowel or tenon members 14, 15 and 16 are disposed in bores in jamb members 4 and 9, there being, preferably, three such dowels for members 7 and 12, three for members 5 and 10 andy one for members 6 and 11. Y The bores in which these dowels are disposed are preferably horizontal and extend into the respective jamb members from their inner edges. During manufacture, the dowels are glued or nailed in place in one or the other of jamb members 4 and 9. Preferably, the dowels are pre-affixed inl the respective boresv in member 9 and, prior to final installation of the unit, the dowel portions which extend from member 9 are disposed in the bores or mortises in member 4 and are slidably engaged therein to retain members 4 and 9 in alignment but later to permit separation of jamb members 4 and 9.

A door stop 17 is loosely tacked in place, by means of nails 18, to retain .jamb members 4 and 9 with their respective inner edges in contact during shipment. The nails 18 are driven through the stop member and into the jamb members sufficiently far to hold the jamb members rigidly together, but at the same time the heads of nails 18 remain exposed sufficiently to be readily engageable by the claws of a hammer for partial or complete withdrawal to permit disassembly to the extent of removal ofthe door stop from the casing and the separationl of jamb members 4 and 9. In some cases, it may be desired permanently to pre-affix stop member 17 to jamb member 4, such as by nailing or gluing, and to drive partially only those nails which would attach; the stop member to jamb member 9, but certain disadvantages result from such permanent preanxing which .will be clear from the later discussion.

Door 1 is pre-drilled to receive a suitable tubular lock. VThus Vtransverse `-bore 31'9 to receive -th'e `-b'odyjot a lock extends through the door adjacent its swinging edge, and a suitable lock bolt 'opening `perpendic'ularly intersects -the transverse bore. To provide bracing of the frame during handling prior to installa-tion, 'a "bracing member in the form of a dowel r`20 is inserted `in the lock b'ol-t opening and extends 'into the cooperating lock bolt opening in portion A7' of :jamb -mernber-4. "This 'dowelf20 is lheld in place by means of a pin -21extendin'g through the dowel and *bearing Yagainst a Wall of bore 19. The pin 21 thus comprises means to -i-eta'in the dowel in *the -door and to prevent Eits being pulled out.' `'Opposing 'the pin 21, and holding Athe pin lirrnly against the wall of bore 19, is a screw 22 'extending through the portion 7 ofthe ``jainb member 'and threadedly engaged in the end o'f dowel "20. The operation of'dowl 20, and of 'pin T21 and screw .22, is to urge l-the swinging edge 23 of 'the door toward jamb portion 7. Block-'s 324 'are interposed, '-preferably, between the door 'edge Y23 'and jamb portion 7 -to retain Lthe 'door and iamb vn'ernberj'in ltheA position in which they are separated by 'the traditional thickness of a silver dollar, `and the blocks 2H, accordingly, :should-tbe of about 'this' thickness Since the iarn'b member will Ibe 'at least slightly resilient, and since the separation between 1the door edge'and janrb is slight, the blocks 24 may be omitted, and the door edge, adjacent r'dowel .20, -may "be clamped in ndirect vengagement with .the jamb without appreciable Awarping of the jamb. v

Further detailsbfthe 'arrangement of dowel 20 and its fassoeiated parts Aare readily 'seen lin Fig. 2, to which attention is Anow invited. Pin '21 is seen to pass "completely through dowel 29 and to bear, at 'its extending end portions, 'on lthe wall 'of bore 19 immediately adjacent the door -bolt opening vin which dowel 20 is 'disposed. The extending vend 525 of dowel 29 'engages I'in opening -26 lin jamb portion r7. Opening 2'6 comprises a pre-drilled A'lock ibolt opening in jamb portion 7, and it L'is ionly partially 'drilled through the jamb. lf 'desired, `opening "26 may extend completely through zjamb portion`7, and a plate lor washer would then be provided under the head of screw 'Screw 22 enters the back of `jamb portion 7 vvand extends into opening '2'61to screw 'into 'end/25 yof dowel 20. The :head of l'the screw'bears against 1the l'back of :jamb lportion '7 and urges end 25`in :the direction into-opening 26. yMotion of -the dowel 20 4inl-'this directionv 'is opposed Y'by engagement of pin "21 against the wall of bore 19, and the bracing means, inelu'dng lthe screw, dowel and pin, clamp the jamb portion `and ldoor edge iirnily together. As lpreviously 'described in "connection with Fig. l, blocks 24 may be interposed 4in the "space '27 'separating the swinging edge 23ffrom the front face of`jambportion 7, if desired.' The door andijamb ypreferably rhave vshallow recesses Aor fmortis'esf-28 and 29 to receive 4suitable 'escutcheon 'plates about the door bolt openings of the door and jamb, respectively.

The dowel 20 preferably lits' closely within the door 'bolt openingsl of the -door and ljamb yportion Ato .prevent Usubstantial "relative motion between -the door ledge 4and Yfthe jamb portion, but theiit Vis suiciently loose :to` permit y'the -dowel later 'to be slipped out of these openings andato be 'removed therefrom. A diameter of '15A-6 'inch for the -openings would be appropriate for a dowel di- 'ameter of 7/8 or "2%2 inch, for example. Removal of fthe dowel during installation of the casing is accomplishcd by backing screw "22 out of the dowel a "short distance, bythen tapping the head "of the screwto drive 'the 'dowelin'the direction out o'f opening 26, and 'further into bore 19, by continuing to back out screw 22 'until it "is completelyremoved, 'and by thereafter swing- 'ingthe 'door on it'shinges until edge 23 is clear ofthe lil casing. ,At this time Vpin 21 is pulled out of dowel 20 and the dowel may be slipped completely out of the door. A suitable door lock mechanism, including a bolt, escutcheons and knobs, may now be installable immediately, although it is suggested that convenience may dictate that the installation 4of .a llock mechanism be deferred until after any necessary paint has been applied to the door and casing. During the interim, the dowel 20 may be used as a temporary latch operable by the fingers in opening 19.

Fig. 2 disclosesv 'further details -of the `arrangement of the casing after preassembly and prior to the start of the inal installation steps. Trim strip .13 Iis :seen to be permanently pre-aflixed to the outer edge of jamb portion 12, as' by nails 30, or by gluing if desired, and trim strip 8 is similarly permanently attached to the outer edge of jamb portion 7 by nails 31.

Tenon -or dowel 1'5 seen in this view, like do-wels 14 and 1'6, is preferably ,glued in place in jamb portion .'12, although other means may be employed to lfasten dowels 14, 15 and 16 in jamb portion f1.2. lIt will be apparent, for example, 'that ka nail may be driven vthrough the 1back face '32 fof the tjamb portion into vdowel 15 toanchor .it vin place in :portion 12, ifxdesired. The extending portion 33 of dowel .215 is slidably :engaged in :mortise opening 34 which has been pre-drilled into the .inner edge of 'jamb portion 7. The dowel spans 'the preferably very small space between ythe confronting linner edges of vjamb :portions '7 and 12. The int zof :the dowel .'15, and `of 'the other .dowels, in the mortise openings provided in 'jamb portion 7 is such as to prevent any substantial motion between the jamb members, but the nt should be a .little less tightzthana driven fitsince the dowels must slide out of themortise openings in rjamb member 4 to permit the casing to Vbe divided into :the two approximate halves, which, :as seen v.in Fig. 3, will permit 'the installation of the pre-assembled casing in the rough .opening to `be finished.

:It is Yfurther apparent from Fig. 2 that 'separation of the jamb .members Eis :prevented Atemporarily .by 'nails 18 driven .partially `through .door stop 17 and into portions 7 and 12 of the :respective jamb units. fln order'to separate the jamb or casing units for the iinal Yinstallation steps, a sulicientnumber 'of Ythe ynails A18 'are withdrawn to disconnect stop 17 'from `at least Yone of the jamb members, and preferably `all nails 18 are withdrawn to permit the stop `17 to Tbe removed vcompletely :from 'the jambs.

The two major casing halves or units may now be separated for .installation -in Va .rough opening, and ref- 'erence Ais now -made to Fig. 3. -As .there seen, .one unit comprises the trim rstrip 8, and the 'door-carrying jamb member -4, ywhich yhas the lock bolt opening 26 inlthe portion 7`Ythereof. The door itself, though not shown in thisfigure, also comprises ya portion of this unit. The other-.unit comprises trim istrip 13 and jamb `member 9, of which sections of jamb portions 11 jand 12 are shown.

lamb member 4 is shown in .'Eig. 3 las having been attached to the vdoor buck, yfof which only the .headpor- .tion is seen, by means'ofnails 36, 37, 33rdriven .through the respective jambmembers'drand y7 so as-tovpassthrough wedges 39, 40, 4l inserted between the jambffmember and .the :door buck. :After inscrti'onoithe inner'edge 42 of xjamb member -4 into the "rough 'opening to fthe limit imposed by engagement ofvthe trim strip zwith the sur- 'f'aee of thewall 243 about the rough opening, 'the 1'wedges B9, 40, 41 have been inserted'under'th'e jamb portions 'from `the inner edge `side to wedgebetween'the jamb pertions and the `buck. While wedges behind th'e'sidejamb portions are necessary, the wedges 39 at the head jail/ib portion'are not 4'essential and will 'be *omitted .unless an unusuallyrigid trame is desired. Thepermanent attachment of trimstrip 81o the cuter edge of the` jamblmember 4 obviously does not'inter'fere with the positioning of the wedges in this manner. The wedges areapplied as necessary to adjust and brace jamb member 4 into accurate plumb position in the rough opening. Nails 36,137, 38 are driven through the jamb member adjacent its inner edge 42 after adjusting the wedges and serve to hold the jamb member rigidly against the faces of the wedges and prevent any appreciable movement of the jamb member thereafter. The fact that the door member is hinged in place in jamb member 4 prior to the positioning of the wedges is important in permitting the wedges to be so adjusted as to bring the jamb portions into exactly the correct desired positions relative to the door edges and, upon nailing, to retain the jamb portions rigidly fixed in their proper positions.

inforced by corrugated fasteners, staples or plates of any desired type applied to the back surfaces of the trim strip. It will usually be found desirable further to strengthen the attachment of the unit in the rough opening by driving finishing nails 45, 46 through the trim strip and into wall 43, the nails being preferably suiciently long to enter the door buck.

After the door-carrying unit comprising jamb 4 has been thus installed, the inner edge 47 of the other unit comprising jamb member 9 is introduced into the rough opening and dowel members or tenons 14 and 15, together with the other provided tenons, enter the respective mortises provided in the inner edge 42 of jamb member 4. The unit is pushed into the rough opening until trim strip 13 meets the wall surface, and at this time small brads or nails are driven into openings 48, 49 in jamb member 4 to engage the extending portions of the tenons 14 and 15 within the mortises of the jamb member, the openings being preferably pre-drilled to insure accuracy. Such nails, when driven into openings 48 and 49, accordingly, penetrate and lock the tenons and thus complete the rigid attachment of jamb members 4 and 9 in fixed Vrelative positions. Nails may also be driven through trim strip 13 into the wall and into the door buck to increase the rigidity of attachment of the casing.

Turning now to Fig. 4, which is a bottom sectional view of a portion of the casing after installation in the rough door opening, it will be seen that portion 7 of jamb member 4 has been braced by wedges 41 against the vertical door buck member 50 and that nail 38 has been driven through the jamb and wedges into the door buck firmly to retain the jamb portions 7 in position. Trim strip 8 has been nailed by nails 46 to the wall surface 43, the nails preferably penetrating buck 50. Prior to instal lation, the trim strip 8 will have been permanently affixed 13 is attached by a nail 52 to the wall, like trim strip 8, .anda nail 53 afiixes the strip 13 to the outer edge 54 of jamb section 12. For additional strength, if desired, a nail 55 may be driven through portion 12 of jamb member 9 adjacent its inner edge 47 and through wedges 41 into buck 50, although such nailing is not essential in that the heaviest forces resulting from the weight of the door, such as occasioned by-the slamming thereof, will be imposed on the jamb member 4 of which portion 7 is a part Hrather than on jamb member 9. As previously explained, n the load-carrying jamb member 4 is firmly attached by 6 nails 38 and wedges 41 to the buck, at the lock edge 23 of the door and at the hinge edge of the door.

Door stop 17 is shown as held in place by nails 18 into each jamb member. The door stop 17 may be accurately located after the jamb members have been installed since the door 1 is hinged in place to the jamb member prior to installation and the door should swing freely within its appropriate jamb member. While pre-attachment of stop 17 to member 4 is possible, it has been found important to the most satisfactory final results that the stop should be located with respect to the door edges only after the jamb members are in final installed position, since some twisting or bending of the casing almost always -results from variations in Wall thickness and departures from true and smooth plumb wall surfaces. It is an important feature of my invention that the casing can be made to accommodate rough openings having substantial dimensional and alignment departures from proper size and shape without causing the door to bind and Vwithout leaving cracks between wall and trim, for example.

The installation of the stop after the installation of the jamb members contribute substantially to this exibility, and by locating the stop at this time, warpage or twisting of the door itself, which may have occurred at any time, is completely compensated.

The screw shown as 22 in Fig. 2 will have been removed frorn opening 56 in jamb portion 7 prior to the installation of the jamb portion in the rough opening. The dowel originally disposed in lock bolt opening 57 may, accordingly, be removed when desired, and a suitable tubular lock or latch may be installed in openings 19 and 57. Escutcheon plates are installed in recesses 28 and 29, and opening 26 in jamb portion 7 is then ready to receive the end of the door bolt in the usual manner to latch the door in closed position.

A satisfactory and sometimes preferable modification of the tenon arrangement for retaining the jamb members together is shown in Fig. 5. The tenon 58, which extends from the inner edge 46 of jamb section 12, is of rectangular configuration and may be substituted for the cylindricaltenons or dowels 14 and 15 heretofore described. The mortise 59 entering the inner edge of jamb portion 7 is, of course, made rectangular to receive the rectangular tenon 58. In door casings suitable for small homes, it is suggested that the tenon 58 may be formed of 1A inch stock about an inch or two in height and extending about 1% inches from the edge 46. Trim strips 8 and 13 are identified in Fig. 5 to assist in orienting the small section therein shown, and it will be understood that other portions of the construction may be in accord with the similarly designated corresponding portions of Figs.' 1 through 4. The small nail-receiving opening 60, which extends into mortise 59 from the exposed face of jamb portion 7, adjacent edge 42, serves the purpose of similar openings 48, 49 shown in Fig. 3 in locating the point at which a nail should be driven to intersect the tenon, 14, 15 or 58 as the case may be, in the respective mortise in portion 7, thus to lock the tenon in the mortise and rigidly and firmly to attach the two jamb members to each other.

It will be understood that, while nails or brads are shown and described for use in attaching or locking the frame portions 5, 6, 7, 1t), 11 and 12 of jamb members 4 and 9 to the buck, in attaching the trim strips 8 and 13 to the wall, and in locking the tenons 14, 15, 16 or 58 in their respective mortises, and in making other attachments or connections, screws, staples, corrugated fasteners or other driven attachment means may be substituted, whether such means are driven with a hammer, a screw driver or with some other implement or mechanism.

It will be apparent from the above disclosure that the door casing in accord with my invention is adaptable for installation in rough openings in walls of various thicknesses without modification of the casing, and that it is also adapted for installation in openings of various widths 7 'ad-"h'eightsj in *each*A instancev within'predetermined Abut rather wide 'limits e'For*em'n'r1ple,"theldistancebetween 'ithedoioi'- 'bucks defining'the opening maybejust .sufficient "'t'oipermitthe jamb-members to'tbetween' them'and the 'wedges, such 'as wedges 4i) Aand l'm'ay be verythin. VThe l ""mmdistancefinto their mor'tisesV and with the inner edges 'if thelja'mbmembersin contact, substantially as shown in" FigfZ; or' vthe thickness may be so great as to permit ."onlya very small 'portion of each .tenon tok enter its re- 'jspective mortise. "The' maximum wall thickness might "b e; for example, Vsli'gh'tly greater than the thickness indi" cated in Fig.` 4. A pre-assembled. casing iniaccord with "thefabove disclosure can be proportioned for installation r inopenings'in walls of from 4% inches to 5% inches, or

even'to 55/s` inches, in thickness.

While I have shownand described only certain -pre-J `ferred embodiments of my invention by way of illustra- Vtion, many modiiications will occur-to those skilled in the Aart, and I ltherefore wish to have it understood that` I intend, in the lappended claims, to cover all such modiica- ,-jtions. as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What'I claimras new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

' 1j In a preassembled'door unit comprising-a Vjamb to whicha. door is hingedly mounted, said'door being apertured at. its swinging edge to receive a tubular lock and ,saidr jamb.l being correspondingly apertured to receivey a boltfo such lock, the combination of amember iitted within said aperture in said door and extending into said aperture insaid jamb, disengageabie anchoring means engagingsaid member and-operative to prevent sliding of v said memberlongitudinally out of said door aperture, and fforce-applying means engaging with said member and force'ably bearing against a back face of said jamb adjacent said jamb aperture urging .said member in a direction 'intosaid,jamb.aperture, said member iitting said-apertures with sufficient. lateral tightness to reinforce said jamb Aagainst damage.

v'2. VA preassembled wooden'door unit comprising a rst ,l jambrfmember-forinsertion into one. side of a rough door *.opening, trim strips. permanently aixed along the outer dgecf said jamb member. adapted and arranged to trim about-said .one Vside of said opening7 a door hingedly .mounted-in said 'jamb member, said door being pre-drilled VLto, receive a tubular lock, said jamb member `having a f pref-drilled locktbolt opening to align with said pre-drilled f portion of said door, ka second jamb member, a plurality of..spaced, parallel extending tenon members aflixe'd to one of said jamb members and extending from the inner edge ofvv said one member` in. directions perpendicular to saidfinner edge and parallel to a face ot said one jamb Hmen`iber,=the other said jambmember having an inner lx'dge'confronting said. inner edge of said one jamb mem ,..ber, and saidtotherl jamb Ymember being aperturedat its said inner edge to provide mortise openings to receive extending portions of said tenon members, said extending portions'of said'tenonmembers being slidingly engaged "resp'ectively insaidmortise openings, means comprising 1Aadoorj stop member removably attached to said jamb members to hold said jamb members in ixed relative posifntion',fa1brace member locked against motion out vof said 'idoor anddisposed ttin'glyin said. pre-drilled lock open- .:ingr of:,s`aid door and: extending; ttingly into izsaidrfpren drilled; lock; bolt opening of: said-:first: jambmemben .and -fnmeansbearingzagainstrsaidfirst jamb member andengagt8 Iing'said'brace'member urging said'brace memberinithe "direction'into said pre-drilled 'lock bolt opening ofalsa'id rst ljamb member. w

f3. Af preassembledwooden doorlunitfcomprising'arst jambrmemberforinsertion 'into one side Aoi'a rough-"door opening, trinr strips permanently-aiiixedI alongthe 'outer edge of said' jamb' member adapted andrarranged to `trim about'said one side-ofv said opening, Aa door'fhingedly "mounted 'in said-jamb member, said door being pre-drilled said inner 'edge and parallel to a face of said onel jamb toreceive a tubular lock, said jamb memberhavinga predrilled lock bolt opening to` align with said'preLdrilled portion-of said door, a second jamb member,1a `plurality 'of spaced, parallel" extending tenon membersaiiixedl to one of said jamb members and extending from the inner edge of said "one lmember in directions perpendicular to member,l the other said jamb member having an inner edge confronting said inner edge of said one jamb `member, and saidother jamb member beingapertured-at'its said inner edge to provide mortise openings toreceive extending portions vof said tenon members, `said extending portions of` said tenon -members being slidingly engaged respectively in said Vmortise openings, meanscom- `prising a door stop member removably-attachedto'y said jamb members to Vhold said jamb members vin-iixed'relative position, a Abrace'member locked against motion out of said door and disposed ttingly-in said pre-drilled iock opening lof-said door andextending iittinglyinto `-said pre-drilled lock bolt opening of saidr rst jamb member, and means bearing against said iirstjambmember-"and nengaging saidbracemember' urging said brace'member for swinging on itshinges.

*in* thedire'ctionintol said pre-drilled lock bolt openingof vsaid Afirst jamb member, said meansv being disengagable from'said brace'member-and said brace member being lthereupon retractable'into said door to release said door AfA/preassembled door'unit comprising a door' having a=swingingedgeeapertured yto receive a door bolt, al first jamb member having-Lan inner'edge yand'ean `Vouter-edge, said ldoor lbeing 4hingedly attached 'to said 'first jambV mem- --beralong the hinge edge Aof said door,said jamb member havingeanaperture'ito align with andy confront saidiaperture yoflsaid swinging edge, a Vbracing member havingends respectively fitted with snug sliding iit in saidi'apertures,

ymeans to retain'said bracing member in: said door aperture, .means engaged withfsaid jamb member andfsaid bracing member! forceably swinging said bracing member into said jamb aperture, a trimstrip permanently-aixed to said outer edge, la second jamb' member for Vdisposition l alongside "saidiirst jamb memberandhaving Yan "inner edge toward -saidy inner edge of said'rst jamb member Aand an outer edge, a trim strip permanently affixed-"to said last outer edgefy plural mortise' and tenon? jointeseparably retaining said respective inner edgesofsaid jamb members inpredeterminedalignment, and adoor stopremovably aixed =to`said jamb-members vto-fretainf'said vinneredges in proximity tov each other, said -doorstop 'being vpermanently aixable in selected position to said .jamb members to bridge spacetherebetween and to*` provide a stop forsaid doorfin closed position.

5./The method of iinishing a rough dooropening-'which comprises: lfabricating a irst and-a'second door jamb `unitforiside-by-side placement Vinsaid opening,l eachsaid unitcomprisinga jamb member and trim strips permalnently laiiixed thereto;v attaching a 'plurality loftenonslito 9 tses of said jamb member of said second unit;` driving nails into said jamb member of said second unit adjacent said mortised edge to intersect and lock said tenons 1n said mortises; and thereafter applying a door stop to span between said jamb members and to cover the heads -of said wedge-penetrating nails and-of said tenon-locking nails and to cover said inner edge and said mortised confronting edge of said respective jamb members.

6. In a split jamb pre-assembled door casing comprising a first jamb member hingedly supporting a door and having a plurality of extending dowels to engage in openings in a second jamb member, the method of installation in a rough opening which comprises the steps of: preaixing trim strips for opposite sides of said rough opening to the outer edges of said respective jamb members, positioning said first jamb member in said rough opening, inserting wedges behind said first jamb member between said first jamb member and the rough door buck adjustably to brace said first jamb member in desired plumb position, nailing adjacent the inner edge of said rst jamb member, through said first jamb member and wedges into said buck, inserting said second jamb member in said rough opening toward the inner edge of said first jamb member to engage said dowels respectively in said openings in said second jamb member, nailing through a portion of said second jamb member adjacent its inner edge into said dowels to lock said jamb members in desired relative positions, and thereafter afiixing to both said jamb members a door stop member to span between said inner edges and to cover the areas adjacent said inner edges in which said nails have been driven.

7. The method of finishing a rough door opening of inaccurate dimensions and imperfect shape varying within predetermined tolerances which comprises: assembling and shaping a first jamb member to fit within an opening of the smallest dimensions within said tolerances, permanently aflixing a trim strip along an outer edge of said first jamb member, said trim strip being sufficiently wide to have outer dimensions when so affixed greater than the dimensions of the largest opening within said tolerances, aixing a plurality of tenon members to said jamb member to extend from an inner edge of said jamb member, assembling and shaping a second jamb member of the same height and width as said first member, similarly permanently aflixing a second trim strip along an outer edge of said second jamb member, saidsecond trim strip having outer dimensions at least as great as said outer dimensions of said first trim strip, mortising said second jamb member at its inner edge, said mortises of said second member being positioned and oriented to be in respective alignment with said tenon members of said first member when said jamb members are disposed with said inner edges in parallel aligned position, hingedly mounting a door to one said jamb member, inserting said inner edge of said one jamb member into said rough opening a distance limited by engagement of said affixed trim strip thereof with the wall about said opening, adjusting said one jamb member into plumb position in said rough opening by inserting wedges outside of said one jamb member between said one jamb member and the rough door bucks of said opening, attaching said jamb member and said wedges to said bucks to retain said one jamb member in said plumb position, inserting said inner edge of said other jamb member into the other side of saidk rough opening to engage each said tenon in its respective aligned mortise, said insertion being to the limit imposed by engagement of said trim strip of said second jamb member with the wall surface about said other side of said rough opening, anchoring each said tenon in its said respective mortise, and connecting a door stop in desired adjusted position to extend between and in partially covering relation to said jamb members.

8. The method of installing a casing and door in a rough wall opening which comprises, assembling a first jamb member comprising a generally rectangular frame having a door hinged therein and a trim strip attached thereto to'tinishabout ysaid frame, assembling a second jamb member.4 comprising a similar generally rectangular frame and atrim strip attached thereto to finish about said frame, saidrframes having respective inneredges adapted and arranged to be vdisposed adjacent each other within said opening, proportioning said framesV tohave' a combined thickness not greater than the thickness Vof? said wall, applying tenons to one said frame vto extend from the inner edge thereof, mortising the other said 'frame at` its inner edge fittingly to receive said tenons, inserting said first jamb member insaid opening to a depth sufcient to engage its said trim stripV with the wall surrounding said opening, inserting wedges into said wall opening outside of said frame of said first jamb member to position and to retain in position said first jamb member, driving attachment means into said wall through said frame of said first jamb member and said wedges, inserting said second jamb member into said opening in the direction to dispose said inner edges toward each other and to engage said tenons in said mortises, driving attachment means through said other frame into said tenons to lock said frames in relative position, thereafter selectively positioning a door stop to cover and span between said inner edges and to have an edge immediately adjacent the closed position of said door and permanently aflixing said door stop to said frames in said selected position.

9. A pre-assembled door casing comprising: two parallel jamb members; a door, hinged to one said jamb member at the hinge edge of said door, having an opposed swinging edge, and having a lock bolt opening extending into said door at said swinging edge and an intersecting lock body opening extending through said door from face to face thereof; said other jamb member having a door bolt aperture aligned with said door bolt opening of saidl door and extending partially through said other jamb member; a dowel rod disposed in said door bolt opening and extending at one end into said lock body opening and at the other end into said do-or bolt aperture; a keeper afiixed to said dowel at said one end engaged at a side of said lock body opening; and a screw extending through said other jamb member into said door bolt aperture and threadedly engaging in said dowel rod.

10. A pre-assembled door casing comprising a hinge side jamb member and an opposed lock side jamb member, a door member hinged to said hinge side jamb member, said lock side jamb member having a door-bolt-receiving aperture and said door member having a door bolt opening aligned with said aperture, an elongated reinforcing member having end portions respectively disposed in said opening and aperture and fitting therein sufficiently closely to prevent substantial motion between said door member and lock side jamb member at said opening and aperture in a direction laterally of said reinforcing member, one said end portion being anchored against longitudinal motion to the one of said door and jamb members in which said one end portion is disposed, and means to draw and lock the other said end portion into the member in which said other end portion is disposed.

l1. In a pre-assembled door casing and comprising a swingable door member pre-drilled in a swinging edge to form a lock bolt opening and a jamb member confronting said drilled edge of said door member and having a pre-formed door-bolt-receiving aperture aligned with said opening, the combination of a reinforcing device having a portion disposed in said opening in said door member and protruding beyond said edge, the protruding portion of said device being engaged in said aperture in said jamb member, said device being anchored in one said member, and means on the other said member to draw said device into said other member and to lock said device in said other member.

l2. In a pre-assembled door casing and comprising a swingable door member pre-drilled in a swinging edge to forma lock bolt opening and a jamb member confronting said drilled edge of said door member and having a preformed door-bolt-receiving aperture aligned with said 

